chrysalism. n.
the amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm, listening to waves of rain pattering against the roof like an argument upstairs, whose muffled words are unintelligible but whose crackling release of built-up tension...
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New York, New York, May 30th, 2017. Common Library. 6:17 PM.
Malone sat at a table in the middle of the large library, listening to Duke Ellington and studying for her music composition test. Since moving all of her classes online, Malone was doing her best to knock out all of the school work she could at once, so she had more time with the band. The album was still in its early days, so most of the tracks being laid down were base musical tracks, Malone wasn't needed to sing yet. She heard the door to the library open, and she quickly lowered the music volume. She turned around, seeing Bucky enter carrying a bunch of books.
"Didn't think of you as a reader, Buck," she called with a smirk as he disappeared in the bookshelves. As soon as he was out of sight, she popped a mint to cover up the fact she had forgotten to brush her teeth and took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach, an all too common occurrence for her when Bucky was around.
"You know I'm full of surprises, Malone," he called back. He hadn't expected Malone to be in the library, so he took his time putting the books back, trying to figure out something to say. The full-body tingling feeling was back, a feeling that was high up on his list of Dislikes, he didn't know what caused it - that scared him. She chuckled and turned her attention back to her homework. He took a deep breath and decided to try and make her laugh, that was his best shot; but how? He didn't know any jokes, his sense of humor was still thin; he'd have to rely on instincts, instincts that he didn't know he had anymore. This was going to be an exercise in self-trust, and Bucky was terrified. A few moments later, he sat across from her, taking her textbook from across the table. "Common chord turnarounds? What are you studying?"
"I'm trying to write a concert score," she smiled. "Book, please," she held her hand out across the table and looked at him expectantly.
"Not until you can tell me the third little Roman numeral thing on this page here," he smirked at her from under his eyelashes. "Come on, you know it."
"No, I don't, that's why I need my book back, please," Malone stood and started walking towards Bucky when he shot up and shut the book.
"Come on, just tell me the third turnaround, and you can have it back," he held the book above his head, far out of Malone's reach.
"Buck," she smiled despite her annoyance, "I really don't know it," she sighed and put her hand on her hip. They stared at each other, waiting for the other to break; but the longer they stared, the harder it got not to smile. Malone loved the way his hair fell into his face, he was obsessed with her smile. Whenever she smiled, he felt desperate to do anything to keep her smiling; when she wasn't smiling, his mind raced with things to do to get that bright and warm smile back on her face. He allowed himself to get lost in her face for a moment before his conscience started scolding him, he knew he was humiliating himself; in a flash, his smile dropped and he broke their way-too-long eye contact. He stumbled for something to say as he flipped open the page and set it back on the table.
